7 Lottery Mistakes That Stop You Winning

Give Yourself the Best Chance to Win

In life, there are always two ways to do something: the right way and the wrong way. Sadly, we often do things the wrong way without even realising it until it’s too late. And your weekly lottery picks are no exception. As you might expect, we study user data and lottery trends to gain valuable insights into the methods and motivations of our players.

One shocking fact we uncovered is that a disproportionate number of players sabotage their chances of winning. 

Based on the statistics, there's a significant chance that you, too, are committing at least one of the following Seven Deadly Lottery Sins:

Lottery Sin #1: Jackpot Blindness

Focusing solely on big jackpots is the most common mistake made by lottery players. It’s also one of the costliest. So understand, first of all, that, generally, the bigger the jackpot, the bigger the odds are against you winning it. Second point: the higher the jackpot, the greater the hype and the more people buy tickets. Therefore, even if you manage to beat the odds and win the jackpot, you're far more likely to end up sharing it, which brings us on to our next point…

Lottery Sin #2: Ignoring The Odds

As with any game of chance, winning the lottery is all about beating the odds. Learning the odds of different lottery games can make all the difference, and may even cause you to reconsider your favourite lottery. Once again, don’t just focus on the jackpot odds (which can vary wildly) but also look at the various prize tiers the game offers, and the odds of winning one of those.

Lottery Sin #3: Thinking Your Numbers Are Lucky

Ever wonder why so many lottery wins, even hard-to-win jackpots, end up being shared out? The answer is simple; it’s human nature. You might think your numbers are “lucky” or “special” but they’re anything but. Most people, consciously or otherwise, tend to pick the same numbers. We see a lot of people who pick the number 7, for example. We also see a lot of people who try the reverse psychology approach and pick 13. Most common of all, though, are all the people picking numbers based on dates (between 1 and 31). A large proportion of whom all end up with the numbers 19 and 20.  

Lottery Sin #4: Looking For Patterns

It’s much the same story with patterns – e.g. picking numbers based on either numerical or visual patterns (drawing shapes on the ticket). Once again, it limits the number of numbers you pick, while also increasing the chances of having to share your winnings.

Lottery Sin #5: Trusting In Systems

Some people put their faith in hot or cold number theory – picking numbers based on the results of previous draws. The flaw here is that each lottery draw is a unique event, and any correlation between one draw and the next is purely coincidental. Therefore, you should be very wary, and indeed highly sceptical, of any of the (billions of)  so-called “lottery systems” out there. 

Lottery Sin #6: Believing In Lottery Hocus Pocus

Beware the so-called lottery “gurus”. The same goes for astrologists, psychics and other charlatans who claim to know tomorrow’s winning lottery numbers. After all, if you knew tomorrow’s winning numbers, would you tell anyone? 

Lottery Sin #7: Giving Up

Saying “I’m never going to…” about something is a self-fulfilling prophecy, because you don’t even give yourself a chance. You’ll find loads of moaners out there more than happy to rain on your lottery parade – but don’t let them. Sure, the odds against a jackpot win are stacked high against you, but I’m sure there have been times in your life where the odds seemed equally insurmountable, but you pulled through regardless. So stay the course, because as long as you’re in there’s always that chance, no matter how slim, that your numbers will come up. And if they finally do, but you forgot to play, could you ever forgive yourself? Many big winners have played for years, with an almost religious devotion, before winning big. No doubt you’ve probably read countless such stories.

And what is it they always say? Usually something like, “I knew it would happen someday!”

Improve Your Chances Of Winning The Lottery

So, how do you make it happen? Now that you know the Seven Deadly Sins, what should you do instead…?

Well, you’ll find there’s plenty of advice out there already on winning the lotter, but you’ll find that more than 99% of it is pure bull.

Luckily, we’ve got some real, practical things you can do to help you win the lottery and condensed them down to five simple bullet points:

1. Study Your Game – Learning the odds can help you pick the best lottery game for you – do you want to go all-in for a huge jackpot, or a smaller one which you’re several times as likely to win?

2. Use Quick Picks – Your lucky numbers aren’t as lucky, or unique, as you think. With randomly-generated quick picks, however, you’re far less likely to end up sharing your jackpot.

3. Check Out The Extra Games – Many lotteries have extra bonus games, such as the Irish Lotto’s Plus 1 & 2 games. These games usually only cost a little bit extra, but increase your chances of winning considerably, maybe not as much as the full jackpot, but still a tasty windfall.

4. Pick More Than One Line – Want to double your chances of winning the lottery? Well, it's easy – just pick another set of numbers! (Plus, don’t forget you can also multiply your millions with Lottoland’s exclusive DoubleJackpot feature!)

5. Don’t Lose Hope – the more you participate, the better your chances, which is what we hear so much about loyal players who kept the faith for years and were rewarded with millions.

Always keep in mind, however, that the lottery is meant to be fun. So whether you're buying tickets at your local newsagents or betting on the results here at Lottoland, to only play what you can afford. It's not about quantity, it's about consistency – remember, slow and steady wins the race! 

Bonus Tip – Join a syndicate. A recent survey by the UK National Lottery revealed that around 17% of all lottery wins in Britain were by syndicate players. It's a similar story in other countries and, indeed, in Ireland, too. (The Lotto's biggest ever jackpot was won by a syndicate, for example.)

So if you’re serious about winning the lotter,y why not start your own lotto syndicate? Of course, you’ll have to share with other members, but together you all stand a far greater chance of winning big!